Adjustable bowden wire



July 21, 1936. w. w. LASKER ADJUSTABLE BowDEN WIRE Filed Dec. 17, 1954 Patented July 21, 1936 UNITED STATE l @2,048,39sf

ADJUSTABLE BOWDEN WIRE William W. Lasker, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Remington Rand Inc., Buffalo, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application December 17, 1934, Serial No. 757,906

Claims.

This invention relates to Bowden wires and, more particularly, to an adjustable Bowden wire for connecting and operating parts of machines in which it is necessary that the wires be bent 5 sharply at a plurality of points, to pass around obstructions or to permit the connection of two parts of a machine which are not in the same plane.

It is a well known fact that, when a Bowden wire is bent sharply at a plurality of points, such as an S-curve, the casing is elongated. This is due to the enlarging of the interstices between the spirals of the casing. When these interstices are enlarged to any great extent, the casing is elongated and the fr ee end of the push or drive wire is covered.

It is, therefore, the principal object of this invention to provide a Bowden wire having a casing which may be adjusted to compensate for any variations in length thereof.

A further object is to provide an easily and positively adjustable Bowden wire casing which will permit a variation of the length of the casing without disturbing the ends thereof.

A still further object is to provide an adjustable coupling member for a Bowden wire casing which is simple and easily manufactured.

Further objects and structural details of the invention will be apparent from the followingdetailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 discloses a Bowden wire embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross section of the mid- 'portion of Fig. 1 disclosing the parts in their maximum adjusted position.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross section of the mid- 'portion of Fig. 1 disclosing the parts in their minimum adjusted position.

Fig. 4 discloses the parts ofFig. 1 separated.

Fig. 5'is an enlarged cross section of the top portion of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross section of the bottom portion of Fig. 1.

The invention, as disclosed in Fig. 1, comprises a flexible casing 2 of the well known type in use Aon Bowden wires. Secured to the upper end of the casing by any well known means, such as swadging or sweating, is a cylindrical member 3. The upper end of the member 3 is threaded to permit the attachment of the casing to the maf chine with which the Bowden wire is to be used. Positioned in the cylinder is a plunger 4 formed as shown in Fig. 5, which extends beyond the casing and has a shoulder 5 formed on the inner end (Cl. 74-502) V thereof. Positioned between the head of cylinder 3 and shoulder 5 is a spring 6 for maintaining the plunger 4 in a withdrawn position. A push wire 'I is secured in the bottom of the plunger 4 in any well known manner and extends through the casing.

The other end of casing 2 is secured in a threaded sleeve 8 which is one-half of the adjustment device of the invention. This sleeve is formed as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, `the bore of the 10 'sleeve being restricted by a shoulder 9 formed in the lower end thereof. Positioned in sleeve 8 is a plunger I0 having a hole formed in one end thereof for accomodating the free end of push wire l. The shoulder 9 restricts and prevents the movement of plunger I0 out of the sleeve 8. It is apparent that the cylinderu 3, casing 2, and threaded sleeve 8 form one self-contained unitary portion of a Bowden wire.

The other or lower end of Fig. 1 discloses a 20 cylinder I I, similar to that described above, which is secured to casing I2. Positioned in cylinder II 'is a plunger I3 formed as shown and having a push wire I4 secured thereto.v

The other end of the casing I2 is secured to a 25 sleeve I 5, formed, as shown in Fig. 2, with a collar 'I6. Positioned about sleeve I5 and limited by the collar I6 is an internally threaded sleeve I1. The sleeve I1 is held in position on sleeve I5 by a threaded bushing I8 having a slot I9 cut in the 30- top thereof for enabling a screw driver to be used in assembling the parts. The sleeve I5 is assembled with sleeve Il by dropping sleeve I5 into sleeve I1 and then screwing the bushing I8 down on to the collar IB, thereby preventing the sliding 35 of sleeve I5 on sleeve I1. Sleeve I1 is threaded only a predetermined distance to prevent thev 'bushing I8 from being screwed down tight on`to the collar I6. This is done to permit the sleeve il'l to turn freely on sleeve I5, thereby preventing Aany twisting of the casing I2 when sleeve I'I is screwed on to sleeve 8. `Positioned in sleeve I5 is a plunger 20 formed as shown, and having a hole formed in the end thereof to accommodate push wire I4. 45

In assembling the two portions of the invention, the sleeve I1 is screwed on to the sleeve 8 until the end of plunger 20 comes into contact with plunger I0, as shown in Fig. 3. Any further turning up ofthe sleeves one on the other 50 until the extreme adjustment is reached, as shown in Fig. 2, will force plunger I0 upward in casing 2 and elongate the exposed portion of plunger 4. y A knurled lock nut 2l is provided which locks the two sleeves 8 and I1 in their adjusted position.

It is apparent that a Bowden wire having the adjustable features of the invention has many uses such as in remotely controlled gauges, selecting devices such as card sorting business machines and for connecting separate units of machinery such as the base and head of a tabulating business machine. It is obvious that there are many other uses which are too many to enumerate.

A device of this'character has another novel feature, namely, that of variably and selectively interconnecting a plurality of units to a distant plurality of units. For example, a Bowden wire of this type may be used in a lace making loom to interconnect the pattern sensing pins and the shuttles. It is apparent that this interconnection may be varied by 'merely disconnecting the wires in the center and reconnecting in any other manner desired without taking the whole wire out of the machine.

While I have described what I consider to be ,a highly desirable embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that many changes in form could be made without departing from the spirit of Amy invention, and I, therefore, do not limit myself to the exact form herein shown and described, nor to anything less than the whole of my invention as hereinbefore set forth, and as hereinafter claimed.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a device of the character described, a central wire, a flexible casing therefor, an adjustable union intermediate the ends of said casing, said wire being formed in two parts, the ends of each part having plungers secured thereto, one end of each part of said wire being positioned in the component parts of said union, and means in said union for varying the length of one of said casings with respect to its associated wire.

2. In a device of the character described, a pair of central wires, a flexible casing foreach, an adjustable coupling for operatively connecting said wires and casings together, a plunger operatively connected to the ends of each of said wires,

. one of said plungers on each wire being movably positioned end to end in the component parts of said coupling, and means for varying the length of one of said casings with respect to its associated wire.

3. In a flexible connecting device of the character described, a pair of central wires, flexible casings therefor, an adjustable coupling for securing sad casings together, a plunger operatively Aconnected to each end of said Wires, one of said wires and casing together, a plunger operativelyy connected to the adjacent ends of said wires, said plunger.: being movably positioned in abutting relation in the component parts of said coupling, and means for varying the length of said casings with respect to its associated wire.

5. In a connecting device of the character described, a pair of central wires, a flexible casing for each, an adjustable coupling for securing said casings together, a plunger operatively connected to the adjacent ends of said wires, said plungers being movably positioned in abutting relation in the compenent parts of said coupling,'and means 3 for varying the over all length of said casings with respect to the associated wires, said means comprising an internally threaded sleeve, an externally threaded sleeve, the first being adapted to be screwed into the second and a lock nut for maintaining said sleeves in adjusted relation.

WILLIAM W. "LASKERa 

